425, Lot: 683. Estimate $150. Sold for $180. This amount does not include the buyer’s fee.

FRANCE, Royal. Philippe IV le Bel (the Fair). 1285–1314. AR Maille tierce à l'O rond (19mm, 1.36 g, 8h). Uncertain royal mint. Struck circa 1285-1295. + BNDICTV: SIT: NOmE: DHI NI // + PhILIPPVS· REX, cross pattée; triple-pellet stops in legend / + TVRONVS. CIVIS, châtel tournois; 10 lis around border, round O in legend. Duplessy 219c var. (obv. legend, no dots flanking top lis on reverse); cf. Lafaurie 223a; Ciani 213 var. (same); Roberts 2498. Near EF, deeply toned, with slight iridescence. Well centered.

From the BRN Collection, purchased from William Porter, August 2003.

The maille tierce was introduced into the French coinage as an attempt to challenge the popularity of the English sterling which was infiltrating the economy via the Anglo-Gallic territories. The obverse legend on this example is apparently unrecorded. A similar, typical ending is DNI NI, but this coin has DHI NI. R.A. Merson's study "The Silver Mailles of Philip III (1270-1285) and Philip IV (1285-1308) of France" in The Gross Tournois (Oxford, 1997), also does not note this variety in the hoards surveyed.